Michael Brissenden presents AM Monday to Friday from 8:00am on ABC Local Radio and 7:10am on Radio National. Join Elizabeth Jackson for the Saturday edition at 8am on Local Radio and 7am on Radio National.

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Monday 11 March 2002

AM is Australia's most informative morning current affairs. It covers the stories each morning that the other current affairs teams follow for the rest of the day. Below is the program summary with links to transcripts and audio (if available).

Remembering September 11th

Just how uncertain life is for America in the post-September 11 world is reflected this morning in confirmation that the White House has been revisiting the nuclear option and as Washington considers tweaking its nuclear arsenal to better suit the new world, while also listing countries against which it might consider a nuclear strike, the uncertainties caused by September 11 are also weighing heavy on very many ordinary people.

US reviews use of nuclear weapons

US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, has confirmed the existence of a US Government report reviewing the use of nuclear weapons in what is an important development in America's military strategy. The paper says that possible targets include Iran and Iraq, North Korea, Syria and Libya and China as well as Russia, the latter a sharp jolt given recent co-operation and the normalisation of relations between the US and the remnant of its former superpower rival.

Children with disabilities sue

Three legal cases which could prove to be landmarks in Australian law will be launched in the New South Wales Supreme Court today involving three children who were born severely disabled. The children are now aged 17 months, 4 years and 21 years and their lawyers say they're suing for wrongful life.

Wooldridge denies conflict of interest

The former Federal Health Minister, Michael Wooldridge is understood to be preparing defamation action and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners is talking to its lawyers too. The writs are flying because they're horrified at being portrayed as taking money from asthma sufferers. Last September, the former Minister approved $5 million towards a Canberra building for the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners to which he is now an independent consultant.

Israel locks out media in West Bank operation

US Vice President, Dick Cheney has embarked on a 10-day foreign trip to shore up the international coalition in the fight against terrorism and to try to find a way out of the cycle of death in the Middle East. The weekend saw the worst bloodshed yet since the Palestinian uprising began but Israel's military has claimed a major strategic victory after making hundreds of arrests in an operation in the West Bank city of Tulkarem.

Polls extended to 3rd day

Zimbabwe's opposition has convinced the country's High Court that voting in the Presidential election should go into a third day as many thousands of people continued to queue well after the official time for voting to end and fears mounted that after dark those lining up would be easy prey for attackers.

Election observer comments

The South Australian Liberal Senator, Alan Ferguson, has spent more than a week monitoring the lead-up to Zimbabwe's poll. He's in the north of the country along the Mozambique border and says that polling there yesterday went well considering the long queues and intense heat, though he says he has witnessed alleged acts of intimidation by members of President Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF.